Azure Dragon Crystal
The Azure Dragon Crystal is one of the four Crystals of Orience in Final Fantasy Type-0 and Final Fantasy Agito. It is controlled by the Kingdom of Concordia and bestows the power of the dragon. Concordians never grow taller than five feet, but enlist monsters and command wyverns to fight in the royal army. Those who do fight in the military do so as Dracoknights, and use their small stature and speed to engage the enemy and run rings around them. Soryu, a colossal wyvern and the Crystal's Primus l'Cie, is said to be the incarnation of the Azure Dragon Crystal itself. Story History According to legend, the Azure Dragon Crystal appeared to overthrow the Blue Dragon Crystal of the Kingdom of Dracobaltia to the east of Orience. The Blue Dragon Crystal had granted its citizens the power to command monsters and wyverns, manifestations of the Crystal itself, but unable to appreciate the gift, the Dracobaltians had slaughtered the wyverns for food during famines and the Crystal's power declined. The balance between the Crystals shaken, the Azure Dragon Crystal appeared to replace the Blue Dragon Crystal, and had its l'Cie create the Cursemire of Naraku where the Dracobaltians, cursed now to become monsters themselves, were banished for an eternity. Realizing the Dracobaltians had failed to develop their Crystal-State because of their lust for power, the Azure Dragon Crystal had its l'Cie establish a country. In the year 271, the l'Cie Cuprine authored the laws of the Azure Dragon and founded the matriarchal Kingdom of Concordia. The l'Cie Iunia formed a royal guard with the Five-Star Wardens at its head to protect the queen. l'Cie Hespera constructed towns and villages, which later became the foundation of the present-day Concordia, and the l'Cie Vesta erected a palace in the land of Mahamayuri and declared it the royal capital. Soryu is one of the only non-human l'Cie. Through its ascension to demigod status, this wyvern came to be known as the reincarnation of the Azure Dragon itself. Steeled and strengthened through centuries of war, each Crystal-State had developed formidable fighting forces convincing each head-of-state of the possibility of unifying Orience under one banner. The waning of the Crystals' power drove the four state leaders to expedite their war efforts, even if extracting energy from the Crystals exacerbated their deterioration. Fearing the weakening of the Crystals to be permanent, each nation sought to annihilate the others. During the Great Orience War, each nation's Crystal began deteriorating even more rapidly due to the replenishment of weapons, armor, and magic, and through the creation of l'Cie. As the power of all four Crystals was waning, on Ventusmens IV in the year 359, the four nations ordered a ceasefire and began preparations for a peace treaty. ''Final Fantasy Type-0: Change the World -The Answer-'' & -The Penultimate Truth- The novels depict the penultimate spiral of Orience that takes place right before the final spiral as depicted in the game. Queen Andoria is assassinated, but Class Zero is exculpated by Claes Celestia Misca Sancest's testimony, having witnessed that the queen was hit by a Militesi sniper. The dying queen refuses healing from Class Zero, saying that death is her Focus. Andoria's final words send Trey, a Class Zero cadet interested in scholarly pursuits, into researching l'Cie's true motives, deeming it odd the Azure Dragon Crystal would ask for its l'Cie to accept being assassinated by an enemy nation. He comes to believe that the Crystals' true agenda is to incite war in Orience, and Andoria's death thus served to motivate the crown citizens to march against Milites with renewed vigor. Milites deploys magitek armors outfitted with Ultima Bombs against Concordia, destroying the peristylium and the Azure Dragon Crystal. Without their Crystal's blessing, the crown citizens lose control over their wyverns and monsters who go on a rampage across the ruins of the kingdom, though the wyverns Celestia had personally reared continue to stay loyal to her, and she is able to help Rubrum and Class Zero in their ongoing battle against Milites. ''Final Fantasy Type-0'' After Marshal Cid Aulstyne finds a way to enslave his nation's White Tiger Crystal, he begins his campaign to take over the other Crystals of Orience in 842 RG. The Azure Dragon Crystal has its Secundus l'Cie, Queen Andoria, invoke the Fabula Pact to bring about a ceasefire, but it is shortlived as she is soon assassinated. The King of Concordia, whose title is more of a figurehead, schemes to overthrow Andoria, and when she is assassinated, assumes control of the nation and forms an alliance with the Militesi Empire to retaliate against the Dominion of Rubrum for their supposed role in Andoria's death. Thus, the Azure Dragon Crystal falls into Militesi hands. News spread that with the queen's passing the Akatoki Warden, Lady Celestia, has stepped forward to become the new Azure Dragon Secundus l'Cie. As the kingdom advances on Rubrum in the First Battle of Judecca, both Soryu and Celestia partake in the war. Soryu is defeated by the Vermilion Bird Primus l'Cie Zhuyu Voghfau Byot, and Celestia is banished by Arecia Al-Rashia's Bahamut ZERO when she battles Arecia's adoptive children, Class Zero. Concordia loses, and Rubrum takes over its regions. As Rubrum takes over the White Peristylium Orience is united under the Vermilion Bird's banner, commencing Tempus Finis. Having inherited Andoria's Focus, and thus her premonition on Class Zero's importance in freeing Orience, Celestia aids the cadets. She takes Class Zero to Pandæmonium, the sanctuary that rises during Tempus Finis, the place where the Judge is said to decide on Orience's fate: if there is no Agito, the world will be destroyed. Celestia defies the Azure Dragon Crystal's Will in doing this, supposedly because the Crystal would rather want her to take on the crucibles and compete for the position of Agito against with the other Crystals' l'Cie. As punishment, the Azure Dragon Crystal turns Celestia into a Cie'th wyvern. After thus losing her humanity, her phantoma is eventually being harvested by Cid Aulstyne as the Rursan Arbiter. After Arecia departs from Orience, the Crystals' light dims and Orience enters a new era where mankind must learn live without the Crystals' power. l'Cie *Claes Celestia Misca Sancest *Soryu *Andoria Kaya Tranka Fam Forturio Etymology Behind the scenes For idolatry toward the Azure Dragon Crystal, the Dracobaltians were sentenced to live in the Cursemire of Naraku by three l'Cie. Naraku may allude to Hell in Buddhist mythology. Category:Final Fantasy Type-0 Category:Crystal